Call processing systems for facilitating and controlling calls with respect to penal institutions, prisons, and jails (each an example of a controlled environment facility, and which are collectively referred to herein as penal institutions) are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,956 entitled “Automated Public Phone Control for Charge and Collect Billing” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,639,977, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, disclose call processing systems for facilitating charge and collect-calls made from penal institutions. Such call processing systems operate to allow an inmate to place a call to a location external to the penal institution and to bill charges associated with the call to an account other than that associated with the calling line, all without live operator assistance. Accordingly, such call processing systems provide an efficient and expedient means by which calls may be placed, thus reducing costs associated with such calls.
Call processing systems used to facilitate calls from penal institutions generally not only need to provide efficient and expedient call completion, but also must provide some level of call control or other features, such as to prevent calls to particular parties, to prevent communication of prohibited or controlled information, to record the call, etcetera. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,079,636 entitled “Three-Way Silence Detect,” number U.S. Pat. No. 7,079,637 entitled “System and Method for Detecting Unauthorized Call Activities,” U.S. Pat. No. 7,136,471 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Detecting a Secondary Destination of a Telephone Call Based on Changes in the Telephone Signal Path,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,812 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Detecting an Attempted Three-Way Conference Call on a Remote Telephone,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,702 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Detecting and Responding to Hook Flash Events Occurring on a Remote Telephone,” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,685 entitled “Three-Way Call Detection by Counting Signal Characteristics,” the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, each provide techniques useful for controlling the termination point of calls. U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,963 entitled “Automatic Key Word or Phrase Speech Recognition for the Corrections Industry,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,261 entitled “Selectively Activated Integrated Real-Time Recording Telephone Conversations,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,665,376 entitled “Selectively Activated Integrated Real-Time Recording of Telephone Conversations with Automated Documentation Consent,” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,013 entitled “Computer-Based Method and Apparatus for Controlling, Monitoring, Recording and Reporting Telephone Access,” the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, each provide techniques for monitoring calls. The monitoring and/or control provided by such techniques is often desired, and often required, by the penal institutions, various governmental entities, the victims of crimes, etcetera. Accordingly, call processing systems used with respect to penal institution calling often include specialize functions for controlling and monitoring calls.
The aforementioned call processing systems are coupled to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and control initiation and termination of calls over the PSTN. Recently, other networks have been used, at least on a limited basis, to carry calls. For example, techniques for placing voice over internet protocol (VoIP) calls have been developed, allowing packet networks (i.e., unswitched data networks) to be utilized in a call path. Using the infrastructure provided by alternative carriers, such as Skype Limited and JaJah, Inc., a caller can place or receive calls using VoIP links. However, the use of such VoIP links often requires equipment and/or processes outside of those associated with the use of typical telephones. For example, placing a call using Skype Limited's VoIP infrastructure typically involves a multimedia computer as a termination device at one or both ends of the call. Although the JaJah, Inc. VoIP infrastructure facilitates calls between two standard telephones, initiating the call requires a computer interface to provide information regarding the two telephones that are to be connected. Accordingly, the use of such VoIP infrastructure is not transparent to the user and is often not an option with respect to particular users.
In addition to the disadvantages with respect to the equipment and processes required to utilize the above mentioned. VoIP infrastructure, calls placed using the foregoing VoIP infrastructure often do not experience the quality of service expected from a carrier grade network. For example, the VoIP links typically utilize public networks, such as the Internet, wherein packet latency an other communication attributes are not within the control of the alternative carrier providing the VoIP infrastructure. Similarly, available bandwidth is typically allocated dynamically on such networks, thereby resulting in dropped packets and other audible communication degradation.
Despite the foregoing disadvantages, many users elect to use VoIP links provided by various alternative carriers in order to take advantage of the cost savings typically available. For example, many of the alternative carriers providing VoIP links offer free long distance, even free global, calling. Users are often willing to tolerate many disadvantages where the pricing structure is attractive.
Although it may be desirable to provide less costly calling with respect to penal institutions, the above mentioned call control and monitoring adds complexity and cost to the penal institution call processing systems. Moreover, such call control and monitoring functions are typically not compatible with a wide range of networks and network infrastructure. Accordingly, there has heretofore been no way to provide the cost advantages of alternative carrier VOW infrastructure links while providing call control and monitoring meeting the demands of penal institutions.